Two months ago we asked whether utilities should invest in solar manufacturing because Pacific Gas & Electric was proposing to do just that. The answer from California regulators, who were divided over the issue, was “no” as they voted 3-2 to deny the request on Thursday.

The popular California Solar Initiative (CSI) program has been so popular that it’s set to run out of money sooner than expected. What will happen if the state doesn’t authorize more money for the program? Consumers will lose some important protection from unscrupulous solar service providers.

California has led the country in solar policy and solar rooftop installations, but keeping its lead won’t be easy. The president of California Public Utilities Commission, Michael Peevey, laid out some of the challenges to promote renewable energy generation by homes, businesses, schools and government agencies.

California lawmakers have passed a bill to require all public and private utilities to get 33 percent of their electricity supplies from renewable sources by 2020. If becomes law, the legislation would make the state home to the toughest renewable energy mandate in the country.

Californians may see a big jump in their energy bills due to the fact that the state utilities’ clean power projects under contract will be billions of dollars more expensive than what the utilities would otherwise pay for power from natural gas plants.

A group of federal researchers have dived into a project to explore animal magnetism, except it’s not what you might think — it looks into the potential effects of electromagnetic fields on marine wildlife, and could become a key reference for any environmental impact review.

California state regulators have spent the last few years trying to revise a program that was meant to boost small-scale renewable energy generation but wasn’t popular because it wasn’t lucrative enough to attract many takers. Now, a new proposal has emerged.

California regulators voted unanimously on Thursday that companies providing electric vehicle charging stations and services will not be regulated as public utilities in the state, which is expected to be one of the earliest and largest markets for plug-in vehicles.

When you plug in and juice up your battery, are you buying electricity? No charging infrastructure providers say in comments filed with the California Public Utilities Commission. You’re paying for an electric vehicle service, and regulators need to make that crystal clear.

Once again it is time to look back on the week in Mobile Tech Manor and share with you the things I learned. This week was a lot of fun, it almost makes me feel guilty that I can have so much fun doing my work.